What is Dodgeball? - Everything Explained

A VIDEO guide to Dodgeball, the TF2 mod-gamemode. Dodgeball's a mode about about reflecting increasingly fast homing rockets back and forth.

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Dodgeball is a popular Team fortress 2 mod-gamemode. It uses custom-made maps and requires a plugin to play.

Dodgeball as a concept and gameplay idea had existed for longer then TF2. It has even existed in different incarnations in older source engine games. For all intents and purposes, TF2’s version of dodgeball has existed since May 2010. Dodgeball started to became popular in August 2010 and has peaked at its max popularity in June 2011. Today there are roughly 35 dodgeball server running either full-time, or part-time.

Dodgeball doesn’t exist as one singular mod. Quite a few people have made a dodgeball plugin. The implications of this are the non-uniformity of the mod and its maps. For clarifications dodgeball maps have many prefixes. TFDB_ DB_ DBS_ etc. Maps belonging to one plugin don’t usually function with the others and vice-versa. Dodgeball also started off as a closed/privet mod.

So what is dodgeball?

Dodgeball is gamemode where two teams of pyros reflect rockets back and forth in order to kill eachother. Using the flamethrower’s compression blast, pyros reflect homing rockets spawned on the map back at each other. In order to win a round, all players on the opposing team must be killed. Rounds are one-life each.

Many variants to the mod’s gameplay exist. Normally 1 rocket is fired at a time, and the rocket increases in speed every time it is reflected. Aspects such as the rockets base damage, the rockets’ turning power and the number of rockets at a time vary from server to server. Most servers disable players from dealing damage to the enemy directly. It’s standard for secondary and melee weapons, as well as the flamthower’s fire damage to be disabled. A few rare servers do allow for dealing damage however. Some even allow the rockets to be destroyed by flaregun projectiles.

Dodgeball rockets lock onto players. When this occurs, depending on the server, a sound effect may play for the player who is targeted. The second effect indicates to the player that they are targeted. Regardless of who a rocket locks on to, any player on the same team can reflect the rocket if they’re close enough to do so. Lock on rockets are core to the gameplay. Many skilful actions can be preformed due to this gameplay aspect. For example, the act of “orbiting.” This is what it’s called when a player moves in such a way that the rocket locked on them spins around them without actually hitting them. This move can be beneficial as it allows the player to reflect the rocket at a more preferable moment. It’s also required if the player wishes to use the rocket to rocketjump.

Alongside normal rockety, maps have a set chance to spawn nukes. Nukes are modeled after the bomb cart’s payload. They appear as flying error signs if the client hasn’t downloaded custom files from the server. Their stats can be modified but usual they deal significantly greater damage and have a significantly greater area-of-effect then a standard rocket. It is normal for a nuke to kill many players on a team at once. Nukes usual play a beeping sound repeatedly as they travel through the air.

Dodgeball maps vary greatly in aesthetics and function. Some maps have the 2 team separate wile some maps have both team together. Maps that have everyone all together allow for players to compression blast and push each other. The act of repeatedly pushed a player around is called juggling. Many players dislike this kind of map because they disliked being pushed around. Some maps contain hazards such as instant death pits, trains and saws. These maps normally keep the two team’s separate. Maps are generally flat, wide open, have tall ceilings and have minimal peaces of scenery that would obstruct a rocket.

Unlike most mod-gamemodes, dodgeball has a small competitive seen. Its competitive seen isn’t very pronounced but the rare dodgeball tournament has happened and could happen again.

And that’s basically dodgeball in a nutshell. A fun reflex and spatial awareness based gamemode. A skilful exercise that can help improve a player’s capacity to reflect projectiles.

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Find a Server

To find a Dodgeball server: search by map name tfdb_, db_ or dbs_.

Learn More

• One of the rare situations where the official Team Fortress 2 wiki actually has information on a mod I've covered.

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All My Guides

[rob berry]

yes good this is so old that you'll never see this

[Dlauck]

cool good guide

[Dom]

A few ways. I play the gamemode and record my findings. I read the wiki. And I look on the internet for anything else that might be missing.

[Dlauck]

how do you find this information?